Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, a vocal critic of President Donald Trump, was reelected on Sunday (October 25, 2026) in a result that provides relief to critics of widening U.S. influence in Latin America.
Late Sunday (October 25, 2026), Mr. The next term begins on January 5, 2027. In Brasilia, volunteers who oversaw the vote count at a school debated whether they needed to stay after the announcement to extend voting, but most left 15 to 20 minutes after polls closed and they had given count information to electoral authorities. Lula by more than 2.2 million votes in the first round of the election earlier this month. Sunday (October 25, 2026) night’s apparent victory by Mr. Lula marked the first time since Brazil’s military dictatorship ended in 1985 that the second-highest vote-getter in the first-round elections won the presidency.
Lula’s campaign shows the veteran leader celebrating with First Lady Rosângela da Silva and allies after his runoff victory was confirmed by Brazil’s electoral court. Lula’s apparent victory, which, if confirmed by electoral authorities, will give him his non-consecutive fourth term as President. Bolsonaro’s request was due to heavy rains in Brazil’s south, where he is favoured. Because of concerns about the cost of living and security, lula faced a tough reelection battle.
Bolsonaro refused to concede defeat, calling the move to extend voting hours unprecedented — though both he and Mr. Lula made the request — and asked for the election results to be annulled, saying they were impossible to accept. A video published by Mr. Mr. Bolsonaro had yet to respond to Mr. Mr. Lula’s request came after issues with buses that provide transportation to polls in Sao Paulo and Salvador, two cities that tend to favour the incumbent. Mr. At a polling station in Rio de Janeiro, the voting machines had already been switched off minutes after polls were set to close and couldn’t be turned back on. Mr. Bolsonaro bested Mr. Mr. Mr. Bolsonaro made a tough-on-crime approach the cornerstone of his campaign and pledged to bring down food costs while Mr. Lula, trying to lure undecided voters, has invested in costly incentives.
The electoral court’s announcement ended an evening of confusion at polling places after Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Cristiano Zanin ruled three minutes before the scheduled end of voting to keep polls open for two more hours, following requests by both candidates.
